Process for obtaining alcohols or alcoholic matters from wool-fat.



1 obtaining chemically pure alcohols or alco-.

' of wool fat, in so far there were 'mercially useful products obtained strongly colored and" UNITED Em OFFICE.

s SEVERIN MOBGENSTERN, 0F CHARLOTTENBURG, GERMANY.

rnocnss ron OBTAINING .ALCOHOLS No Drawing.

Specification of Letters Patent.

03 ALCOHOLIC MATTERS FROM WOOL-FAT. I

Patented May 9, 1911 Application ,filed October 25, 1910. Serial No. 588,963.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SEVERIN Mononu- STERN, a subject of the King of Prussia, and resident of 1 Kirchstrasse, Charlottenburg, in the German Empire,.have invented a oer-- tain new and useful Process for Obtaining Alcohols or Alcoholic Matters from Wool- Fat, of which the following is a specifica.-- tion.

This invention consists in 'a processfor holic matters from wool fatin a cheap and, commercial manner.

The process depends upon the distillability of unrectified alcohols from wool fat. Up till now the raw wool fat has merely been subjected to distillation with the result that a mixture of free fatty acids, free alcohols and hydrocarbons was obtained, a mixture which in itself is very impure and in. which the alcohols therein contained do not even seem to be identical with the alcohols that at high temperatures their p ys1cal properties are altered.

While the pure wool fat alcohol bodies obtained by analysis are very viscous, this property has been. almost lost in the alcohols of the distillation mixture obtained by distilling raw wool at.

Heretofore attempts have been made analytically to isolate the wool fat alcohols by precipitation methods as well as by synthetic methods for instance acetylization or benzoylization; but such methods cannot of course come into question for commercial purposes because of the cost. No purifica tion by distillation on acommercial scale of the alcohols has heretofore been carried out, because the saponificationproduct of the wobl fat has always been treated first. In fact saponified wool fat mixtures, wherein also part of the alcohols has been freed, could not in the form heretofore known he distilled at least not in the sense that comwere obtained, but

strongly smelling distillates which had been rendered very impure by products of decomposition. Now the ap this phenomenon depends upon thefact that in previous saponifications, tral fat has been left undecomposed, and

therefore the raw alcohol mixtures were produced with a'great amountof neutral fat. Such mixtures yield in'the lower fractions hols obtained depends of coursetoo. much neuvery .impure dist-illates, and the higher fractions do not approach chemical purity, but are so altered by greasy and tarry products as not to possess their characteristics. The

applicant has furthermore found that if distillation commences with a raw product,

wherein the neutral fats have been decomposed as much as possible, undecomposed products can be obtained even up to the more than of neutral (*5. c. unsaponified) constituent parts, it-is possible to obtain distillates of almost chemical purity up to and including If a raw alcohol mixture 2 to 3 per cent.

the last fractions, and when the distillation is carried on with care the mixture can be fractionated in a vacuum in an excellent manner.

The applicanthas'found that 10 to 15 per cent. of neutral fat is the highest obtaining useful products. When such quantities are present the highestfractions begin to show a brown color and to be rendered impure byproducts of decomposition,

but nevertheless the approximate quantitato tive yield of alcohols is obtained. v

Preferably in carrying out my improved process I saponify the wool fat with the amount of alkali necessary to decompose limit for most of the wool fat so that not more than 10 to 15 per cent. of neutral fat is present n the product. The amount of alkali required may readily 'be determined by empirical or analytical methods. The product thus obtained is tion in a vacuum and preferably in the presence of steam, and by this means the alcohols (e. g. myricin alcohol, cholesterin etc.) are readily and directly obtained from the then directly subjected to distilla- 90,

saponifiedwool fat. The nature of the alcoupon the particular nature of the wool fat. The mode of producing the raw alcoholic mixture forms no part of this invention. I It is only of importance that a mixture be manufactured as raw material for the distillation process whichdos not contain more 'than'about 10 to 15 per cent. of'neutral fat. The distillation itself must with care under the highest possible vacuum and 'with as little admission of superheated steam as possible in order to prevent a lowering of the-vacuum and therewith a sudden rise in i temperature. When these .precaube carried out 7 ioc tions are observed, the process goes on'l decomposition while remains behind.

V 1. A process for obtaining alcohols from per cent. of

thereafter without further purification subto distillation in oacuo.

A processfor obtaining alcohols from wool fats, which consists in saponifying the raw wool fat until less than 15 percent. of

The raw alcohol mixturevmay be obtained in various ways. Saponification may be carried on to a considerable degree with lime der pressure which that lme soap 1s obtained at once, from neutral fat is present in the product, in which the raw alcohols may be easily se athereafter without further purification sub-- rated y extraction. Still better is It to jecting the product todistillation in vacuo saponify y means of alcoholic alkali In and in the presence of steam.

is case it is best to employ the alcoholic 3. A process for obtaining alcohols from residuum resulting in the manufacture of wool fats which consists in saponifying the anolin which raw wool fat until less than 15 per cent. of

present in the product, thereafter without further purification suband in the presence of superheated steam.

In Witness whereof I have presence of two witnesses. SEVERIN MORGEN STERN. itnesses:

HENli Y HASPER, WoLDEMAR HAUPT.

I claim 01 fats which consists in saponifying the jecting the product to distillation in vacuo 

